NEW DELHI: The second round of Ranji Trophy fixtures concluded on Tuesday, with intermittent rainfall playing a role in most matches across the country.
The second round featured inspiring performances from many unheralded teams. Nagaland’s dogged batting effort against Tamil Nadu, thanks to centuries from Dega Nischal and ImliwatiLemtur, helped the side earn a draw.
Goa and Chhattisgarh too managed to earn a point each in draws against Karnataka and Mumbai respectively.
Here are the top performers from the second round of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26:
Prithvi Shaw
Former Mumbai batter Prithvi Shaw scored his first century since his switch to Maharashtra and converted it into a double during the second innings of the side’s match against Chandigarh. The opener scored the third-fastest double ton in the competition’s history as the side emerged winner by 144 runs.
Karun Nair
Karun Nair slammed his 25th First-Class (FC) ton during Karnataka’s match against Goa, his first since returning to the side from Vidarbha. The middle-order batter held the innings together with a 267-ball 174 after early wickets, helping the team post 371. The batter was recently left out of India’s Test squad against the West Indies, following middling returns in England earlier in the year.
Pradosh Ranjan Paul
Tamil Nadu’s Pradosh Ranjan Paul scored his maiden FC double hundred in a match against Nagaland in Bengaluru. The southpaw has had a strong start to FC cricket, averaging more than 50 in his 28 matches so far. A return to the India A setup is likely if he can carry on in the same vein.
Auqib Nabi
Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi picked ten wickets and scored a fifty in the team’s innings victory over Rajasthan in Srinagar. It was the 28-year-old’s third 10-fer in 33 FC games, bringing his average down to 20.10. The pacer has also picked five in an innings against Mumbai in the previous round and a fifer for North Zone against East Zone in the Duleep Trophy. However, he missed out on a spot in the India A squad for the multi-day matches against South Africa A.
Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami picked a second-innings five-wicket haul to help Bengal beat Gujarat by 141 runs and earn a second consecutive Ranji Trophy win. The pacer had also picked three in the first innings to tally a total of eight in the match. Just as Urvil Patel threatened to take the game away from Bengal with a counter-attacking hundred, the India pacer cleaned up the tail following the wicketkeeper-batter’s brief exit from the field of play owing to cramp.
Shahbaz Ahmed
A six-wicket haul in the first innings from Shahbaz Ahmed helped Bengal earn a crucial first-innings lead against Gujarat in Kolkata. Despite skipper Manan Hingrajia tying down one end, none of the Gujarat batters could stitch partnerships with him, thanks to Shahbaz running through the middle and lower order. The left-armer picked four wickets in a seven-over spell to all but end Gujarat’s chance of a fightback. He also contributed a handy 20 runs with the bat in the second innings.
Agencies